Dose- and time-dependent response of human leukemia cell line NB4 to arsenic trioxide treatment

Authors

Abstract

Background and Objective: Although arsenic trioxide has been shown to be a potential drug in treatment of APL, most notably in patients with relapsed APL, the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, the cytotoxic effect of ATO on APL cancer cells was evaluated. Materials and Methods: In this basic-applied study, the human leukemia (NB4) cell line was used as a model to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of arsenic trioxide in APL cells. NB4 cells were exposed to different concentrations of ATO (0.5, 1, 2 µM) for 2, 4 and 6 days and dimethylthiazol diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was applied to them.     Results: Data obtained from this assay indicated that arsenic trioxide significantly reduced the viability of NB4 cells and inhibited cell growth in a time and dose dependent manner. Conclusion: Findings from the present study indicate that arsenic trioxide is highly cytotoxic to human leukemia cells, supporting its use as an effective therapeutic agent in the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Keywords